UK Hip Hop Reviews

Morriarchi

Blah Records keep on blessing us. ‘Morrstinkin’ is a full length project from London MC Stinkin Slumrok and Sheffield beatmaker Morriarchi, and the creative LP is packed with their signature gritty and gloomy style. Blah had a prolific twelve months in 2016, and it looks as if they’re continuing with that trend with an abundance of quality music already filtering out from the Cult, and this is is a prime selection.

‘Keep It Morrstinkin’ sets the tone of the LP perfectly; the gloomy opener is laced with punchy kicks, off-kilter effects and a deep snare that backs Slumrok has he drops witty bars with charisma and conviction. ‘Madness’ is relentless and a perfect example of the Blah MC’s individual style. His verses aren’t exactly on topic, but he brings consistently high quality bars laced with a sharp sense of humour and a clear nineties influence that is delivered without the slightest hint of forcing it. Slumrok continuously shows himself as a what you see is what you get MC, and it makes him one of the most likeable characters in the scene.

The smoked-out ‘Duh Duh’ is really dope, and the slow-moving, ultra-smooth beat is a work of genius by Sheffield producer Morriarchi; the eclectic selection of instrumentals ranges from hazy rollers to crisp, boom bap. ‘Bugginton Smyth’ is a fine example of the latter, and Blah Records veteran Salar contributes a characteristically cocky verse; the rare verses we’ve heard recently from the original Children Of The Damned spitter has every hip-hop head worth their salt sat fiending for a project for the talented lyricist.

‘F.A.M.M’ is a highlight; Slumrok switches up the flows and drops inventive quotables like “I wanna see you all get funky as my mum, and she be really fucking crazy where you think I got it from”, and it’s memorable lyrics like this that make his work so enjoyable. ‘Early In The Morning’ is wonderfully offensive, and Trellion, Slummy and Flowtecs deliver hard-hitting bars over a haunting Morriarchi soundscape. The looming production and eclectic mix of styles on show are a very formidable formula.

Slumrok has a unique ability to spit some of the most vivid, graphic and dirty bars before switching to a street-smart, raw approach without missing a step. The excellent ‘Pipedreems’ is a case in point, and the hook is masterfully executed; this is classic Stinkin Slumrok, and nobody can do this style quite like him. It’s dope to hear frequent collaborator Bisk slay the microphone of the trippy, leftfield penultimate banger ‘Indacity’; the punchy drums and sparse beat is perfect for Bisk and Slummy’s natural chemistry to shine, and their gritty penmanship is flawlessly constructed.

Blah Records have delivered another banging album that showcases quality material from one of the most creative, unique movements operating at the moment. Slumrok and Morriarchi’s chemistry is evident from the outset, and the boom bap vibe is sprinkled with a healthy dose of characteristic cult sweg from the producer/MC duo. Consistent, cohesive and charismatic, ‘Morrstinkin’ is a wonderfully entertaining project, and it’ll remain on rotation for some time to come.

Blah Records continue their insanely productive 2016 with the release of ‘Buggzville Sessions’, the full length LP from longstanding and respected producer Morriarchi, with features from a who’s who of the best in hip-hop from the British Isles, as well as Canadian MC Danny Lover also making an appearance.

The menacing ‘Hush Ya Beak’, with it’s glitchy drums and screeching samples, is a perfect opener; it serves both as a reminder or as an introduction (depending upon your familiarity with Morri’s work) to his distinctively gloomy, hard-hitting sound. The shrouded-in-mystery MC Rox Slicken appears on this first cut, and he absolutely destroys the unorthodox beat.

‘Campbell & Algar’ is a slow-moving, swegged out banger from two of the UK’s finest lyricists. Jehst and Lee Scott collaborate on what is a long anticipated pairing for rap fans the underground over, and it doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. This is witty, sarcastic hip-hop at it’s genius best; Lee’s savage bar claiming just how much of the pie is his is a standout, and Billy Brimstone’s ‘Why everybody wanna rap hella fast? I’m in the bath with a copy of The Telegraph’ lyric is simply incredible. Only Jehst could make such a simplistic segment of writing sound so poignant.

Welsh Collective Squid Ninjaz are represented by MC’s Hekla and Joe Dirt who appear on ‘Roach Lyfe’. The gritty, grimey and smoked out production, which comes complete with hazy switch-up’s that compliment the lyrics as they hammer through the system, is absolutely fire, and the hard-hitting lyricism is silkily executed. Morri’s remix of Bisk’s tune ‘Pimpfunk’, which was originally produced by Lee Scott and was released on Bisk’s ‘Raw Shit’ EP, is up next. The smooth, cinematic, Tarantino-esque production takes Bisk’s raw, passionate vocal to an entirely different place from the upfront, hard-hitting original version.

Sheffield veterans Trellion and Sniff appear on ‘Buggzville’ and the leftfield, tripped out beat is perfect for both Northern lyricists’ cocky, laidback styles. Trellion’s verse shines, with some characteristic quotables; ‘I’m way iller anyday/but I don’t know shit about shit, who the fuck’s J Dilla anyway’ is just one of many. The Danny Lover solo track ‘Kapcha’ is the highlight of the LP, with the phased, affected bluesy guitar samples perfectly combining with Danny’s lazy flow and infectious delivery.

The album closes out with a Bisk solo track, entitled ‘No Phone Calls’; the simplistic, subtle production backs the Blah MC’s savage tongue as he delivers relentless screwface-inducing bars with a mixture of passionate realness and comedic flourishes.

‘Buggzville Sessions’ is quality through and through; the dark soundscape created takes a few listens to properly comprehend, but the vibe Morriarchi creates is thoroughly original and leaves a lasting impression long after Lee Scott’s adlibs on the final song have faded from the speakers. Blah Records’ talented roster is represented heavily on this release, and with Sleazy F Baby’s solo project due for release very soon they show no sign of slowing down.